The Jewish-National academic
reading association, Humanitas

by Dr. Erich Neuborn (Tel-Aviv)

Translated by Jerome Silverbush

In November 1900 in Czernowitz, the Jewish national academic association,
Humanitas was founded. The founding of this association can be
attributed to the fact that at that time only one academic reading association,
the Academic Reading Room, existed, whose members, although for the
most part Jewish, by no means recognized their heritage, but showed marked
assimilationist tendencies. They were proud to have several token
Christians as members and made it difficult for anyone who was obviously
Jewish or even those who appeared Jewish or had a Jewish name to join the
association.

Jewish national students were naturally unhappy about this situation and so
several of them decided to form their own Jewish national academic reading
association.

Among the founders of the organization were the students Arnold Fischer,
Philipp Fleischer and Erich Neuborn. Bylaws were written stating the goal of
the organization as the preservation of Jewish language and culture and the
fostering of comradeship. They wore a sash in the colors gold-green-gold and
had their den at Hormuzikigasse 9 (9 Hormuziki Street) in a hall
put at their disposal by brother
1
Neuborn in which, every two weeks, scientific and educational lectures were
held on the land and life in Palestine as well as the lives of Jews in the
lands of exile.

The number of members soon increased dramatically. The new members were mainly
students who came from the provinces to study law at the Czernowitz University.
In winter, they studied at the University, but during vacations they returned
to their hometowns.

The first president of the Association was Arnold Fischer. He represented the
Association at a banquet given in celebration of the 25
th
anniversary of the founding of the Czernowitz University which took place at
the palace of the state government and which was attended by Hartl, the
minister of education. Also invited to this celebration were Hasmonaea
(represented by Marcu Covler), Zephira (represented by M. Kinnsbrenner) and the
academic fraternities Alemannia, Austria,
Arminia, and the Academic Reading Room.

After the formal part of the ceremony was ended, Minister Hartl sat at the
table of the nine student representatives and invited them to drink, but didn't
drink himself. He was encouraged by Arnold Fischer with the words, after
you Excellence. When the parents sing, the youngsters twitter. Laughing,
the Minister raised the goblet to his lips and soon a lusty chorus of student
songs sounded, in which the Minister took part.

In the Association's hall, many newspapers and magazines could be found. There
was also a comprehensive library for the member's use. When the first president
of the Association asked Max Nordau if he could contribute copies of his books
to the library, Nordau replied that he would be happy to comply, but he
couldn't do it without his publisher's permission, The publisher, however,
didn't want to authorize this gift.

The second president of the Association was Philipp Fleischer. He was of tender
stature, but he was soon to show what kind of stuff he was made of. When the
newly elected president when strolling on the Pardini Heights, he was insulted
by the president of the Academic Reading Room, Caesar Perlstein,
whereon, Fleischer without hesitation challenged him to a duel. Since he had
never held a blade in his hand, his friends were very concerned about the
future of their beloved president. Although Perlstein was considered a
good blade, Fleischer was very confident. At that time, there was a
student in Czernowitz named Tennenhaeuser (Kadima, Vienna) who was a well known
swordsman. He trained Fleischer, who was completely inexperienced, for a few
days and Fleischer proved he was an apt student. He bloodied Perlstein in the
first round, making a reputation for himself in the student world
of Czernowitz as a feared blade. After that, no student would dare
to insult Fleischer.

The brothers mentioned above became mainly lawyers, like Joseph Ellenbogen,
incidentally, the composer of the Humanitas colors song in
Suceava, today in London, Moses Fischer in Vienna, Elias Friedwald in Jaroslau,
Zissu Hutmann in Kimpolung, Markus Kurzweil and Karl Sonnenthal in Radautz,
Feiwel Sobel and Markus Sternberg in Staneste, Gerson Spirman in Reichenberg
(Bohemia), Arnold Fischer in Czernowitz, as well as Karl Mondenach and Philipp
Fleischer, from where he emigrated to Palestine and settled down as a lawyer in
Tel-Aviv and died in July 1951. Erich Neuborn became a judge and then a lawyer
in Czernowitz; J. Grauer became a magistrate director and S. Halpern, became
director in the Magistrates office in Czernowitz. David Trichter became a
railroad engineer in Braila and David Wacher, a doctor in Iasy.

Of all the former brothers of Humanitas, only three are still alive: Dr. Joseph
Ellenbogen in London, Dr. Arnold Fischer in Petach-Tikwa and Dr. Erich Neuborn
in Tel-Aviv. All the others died during World War II at the hands of the Nazis.

In 1903 Humanitas was absorbed by the academic associations Hebronia and
Emunah. The library was given to Hebronia.

Notes:

1) brother: The author uses the abbreviation BB when referring to the members
of Humanitas. I can't find it in any dictionary, so I'm using
brother which is probably close.
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